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Tbilisi’s festive season runs from mid-December through mid-January, with New Year’s Eve as the single biggest night. Christmas markets run throughout this whole stretch, but here is the detail most visitors get wrong before they even book flights: Georgian Christmas actually falls on January 7, not December 25.
At Travel Door, we help travelers plan trips around exactly this window every year, so this guide comes from that planning experience, not just a description of the festivities. If you are also comparing this season against the rest of the year, our best time to visit Georgia guide covers the full calendar.
When Is Christmas Actually Celebrated in Georgia? The Confusion Explained
Georgian Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7, following the Julian calendar the Georgian Orthodox Church still uses for religious dates, rather than the Gregorian calendar most Western countries follow for December 25.
Why Georgia Celebrates Christmas on January 7
This is not a quirk or a delay, it reflects a genuinely different calendar system still used for Orthodox religious observance. January 1 and 2, and January 19 for Epiphany, are also fixed on this same calendar, and all three are official public holidays confirmed on the Georgian National Tourism Administration’s holidays page.
What This Means for Planning Your Trip Dates
If you specifically want to witness Georgian Orthodox Christmas traditions, plan for early January, not December 25. Arriving only for December 25 will land you in the middle of the festive market season, which is genuinely lovely, but you will miss the country’s actual religious Christmas by nearly two weeks.
New Year’s Eve, Not Christmas, Is the Biggest Single Celebration
For most Georgians, December 31 into January 1 is the bigger, more universally celebrated night. Families gather for a large supra, a traditional feast, with a table full of toasts, Georgian wine, and dishes like satsivi, poultry served cold in a rich walnut sauce, traditionally part of the Christmas Eve and New Year table. Children may also spot Tovlis Babua, Georgia’s own version of Santa Claus, who appears at markets and family gatherings through the season.
When Do the Tbilisi Christmas Markets Run?
The official City Hall Christmas market typically opens around December 12 and runs through early-to-mid January, with several smaller independent markets adding their own dates within that window.
First Republic Square, the Main Official Market
Organized directly by Tbilisi City Hall, this is the city’s central Christmas Village, with market stalls, an ice rink, concerts, and the main city Christmas tree lighting that officially opens the season.
Fabrika, Dedaena Park and Other Smaller Markets
Alongside the official market, smaller independent fairs pop up at Fabrika and other courtyards around the city, generally for shorter, specific weekends rather than running the full season.
What You Will Actually Find at These Markets
Expect local craft stalls, mulled wine, seasonal Georgian food, live music, and space for kids, closer in spirit to a European Christmas market than a purely commercial shopping event.
What Does Tbilisi Look and Feel Like During the Holidays?
Central Tbilisi is genuinely transformed, with lights strung across the main avenues and squares from mid-December through the whole festive stretch.
Lights, Decorations and the Main Christmas Tree
Rustaveli Avenue and the main squares are decorated well beyond just the market area itself, and the atmosphere holds through the full holiday period rather than fading after December 25 the way it might elsewhere.
Is Tbilisi Cold, and Does It Snow?
Tbilisi’s winters are relatively mild by regional standards, and snow at Christmas is genuinely inconsistent year to year rather than something you can count on. It is worth checking Georgia’s National Environment Agency forecast closer to your travel dates rather than assuming either way. If snow is actually the priority, our best time to ski in Gudauri guide covers a short add-on trip into the mountains, where snow is far more reliable than in the capital itself.
Georgian Christmas and New Year Traditions Worth Knowing
Several traditions here are genuinely distinctive and worth knowing before you arrive.
Chichilaki, Georgia’s Alternative Christmas Tree
A Chichilaki is a small, hand-carved tree made from dried hazelnut or walnut branches, whittled into pale curls and decorated with ribbons or dried fruit, traditionally burned after Epiphany to symbolically leave the past year behind.
Alilo, the Christmas Day Procession
On January 7, Alilo processions fill the streets, starting near First Republic Square and moving toward Sameba Cathedral, the country’s largest Orthodox church, with participants in traditional dress singing carols and collecting donations for those in need along the way.
Old New Year, the Tradition Most Visitors Never Expect
Georgia also celebrates a second, smaller New Year on January 13 to 14, based on the same Julian calendar. It is quieter than the main event, marked with a smaller fireworks display and family dinner, but a genuinely charming, lesser-known detail that surprises most first-time visitors.
What Should You Know About New Year’s Eve Fireworks?
There is no single official fireworks display in Tbilisi. Instead, residents across the entire city set off their own fireworks from rooftops, balconies and street corners at midnight, and this is worth knowing in advance rather than being caught off guard by it.
Why This Genuinely Surprises First-Time Visitors
Unlike a single coordinated display, midnight on December 31 turns the whole city into thousands of small, simultaneous firework launches at once, an experience unlike anything most visitors have seen, loud, colorful, and genuinely striking from a good vantage point.
A Practical Safety Note
This is also worth taking seriously, not just admiring. Because fireworks are widely available and largely unregulated, injuries do happen every year, according to Eurasianet’s reporting on Tbilisi’s New Year fireworks, which cited 87 people injured, including children, in a single recent season. Keep a sensible distance from street-level launches, avoid walking directly beneath apartment balconies around midnight, and consider watching from an elevated, open vantage point rather than a narrow street.
Where to Watch From
Mtatsminda Mountain, reachable by funicular, offers a genuinely good elevated view over the whole city as fireworks go off below, and it is worth arranging transport back down in advance, since demand for the funicular spikes right around midnight.
What Is Open and Closed Over the Holidays?
December 31, January 1 and 2, and January 7 are official public holidays, and government offices and many local shops close, but tourism-facing venues stay open, often busier than usual.
| Date | What Closes | What Stays Open |
| December 31 to January 2 | Government offices, most shops, banks | Restaurants, hotels, markets, bars |
| January 7 | Government offices, many local shops | Restaurants, tourist sites, markets |
| January 13 to 14 | Some local businesses | Restaurants, hotels |
Restaurants offering a special New Year’s Eve dinner, particularly ones with a good view of the fireworks, do fill up. Booking a table by early-to-mid December for the December 31 evening is worth doing rather than assuming a walk-in will work.
What Should Non-Christian or Muslim Travelers Expect?
The festive season is genuinely enjoyable for non-Christian travelers too, since the markets, lights and general atmosphere are cultural as much as religious.
Alcohol, particularly mulled wine and the toasts that come with a Georgian supra, is a visible part of the celebration, but this does not affect access to halal dining or daily life more broadly, and our luxury halal travel guide covers where GCC and Muslim travelers eat and stay comfortably year round. If you are traveling from the Gulf region for this specific window, our GCC visa guide is worth checking before booking flights.
A Practical Example: Planning a Festive Georgia Trip With Travel Door
Every December, we hear a fairly consistent set of questions, will the good hotels be booked out, is it worth combining Tbilisi with a Gudauri ski day, should we come for December 25 or wait for the Georgian dates. We also make a point of mentioning the fireworks situation to every first-time traveler before they arrive, since it genuinely changes how you plan the evening of December 31.
Central hotels near First Republic Square book out fastest for the last week of December, so earlier booking genuinely helps here more than in most other seasons. Before you fly, our travel insurance guide and entry documents checklist are worth a look too, since both apply regardless of which festive dates you choose.
Extending Your Festive Trip
Many travelers use this window for more than just Tbilisi. Our how many days you need in Georgia guide helps with broader planning, and if you want a mountain contrast to the city lights, Gudauri’s ski season genuinely overlaps with this exact travel window. For couples specifically, a festive Tbilisi stay pairs naturally with the slower pace covered in our honeymoon package guide, and after the New Year’s Eve celebrations, our spa and wellness guide covers a genuinely well-timed way to recover before flying home.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Christmas celebrated in Georgia?
January 7, following the Julian calendar used by the Georgian Orthodox Church, not December 25.
When do the Tbilisi Christmas markets open?
The official City Hall market typically opens around December 12 and runs through early-to-mid January.
Is Tbilisi cold at Christmas?
Relatively mild by regional standards, though snow is inconsistent year to year. Check the forecast closer to your dates.
What is Alilo in Georgia?
A traditional procession held on January 7, from First Republic Square to Sameba Cathedral, with participants in traditional dress carrying religious banners and singing carols.
Are shops and restaurants open on January 1 in Tbilisi?
Government offices and many shops close, but restaurants, hotels and the markets themselves stay open, often busier than usual.
What is Old New Year in Georgia?
A second, smaller New Year celebration on January 13 to 14, based on the Julian calendar, marked with a smaller fireworks display and family dinner.
Is it true that people set off their own fireworks in Tbilisi?
Yes, there is no single official display. Residents across the city launch their own fireworks at midnight, which is a genuine spectacle but also a real safety consideration worth planning around.
Is Tbilisi safe and worth visiting during the holidays?
Generally yes, though the widespread private use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve does cause injuries most years, so keeping a sensible distance from street-level launches is worth taking seriously rather than treating it as just a curiosity.
If you want help timing a festive Georgia trip, whether that means the Tbilisi markets, Georgian Christmas itself, or combining it with a short Gudauri ski add-on, reach out to Travel Door and we can put it together around your dates.
